Name: Mike Trout and Tiger Woods are building a golf course in New Jersey
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Mike Trout and Tiger Woods are building a golf course in New Jersey

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Skip to main contentSkip to main contentYou have permission to edit this article.Edit© 2023 Lee EnterprisesTerms of Service Privacy PolicyWork has begun, but many hurdles yet to clear before golfers can tee off at Trout NationalCommentsShare thisVINELAND — Work is underway at the site of Trout National, the planned golf course being brought to the city by Mike Trout and Tiger Woods.With the new development comes excitement over its economic potential as it makes its way through the regulatory process.Jerry Velazquez, president and CEO of the Cumberland County Improvement Authority, said he was eager to see the project come to fruition. He said the choice of developers to build in the city has drawn new attention to the region from the world of golf and beyond.“Certainly, there’s people looking (at Cumberland County) who weren’t looking previously,” Velazquez said.Trout — center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels, perennial All-Star, three-time American League MVP and a Millville native — announced plans for his eponymous course, titled Trout National — The Reserve, on March 27.Woods, the golfing great and winner of 15 majors, is bringing his company TGR Design to help plan out the course. They are partnering with local developer John Ruga, the owner of Northeast Precast, for the project.“Since announcing our plans for Trout National — The Reserve in March, the response and support from the local community and government officials has been incredible. We are excited to bring Trout National to fruition,” said a spokesperson for Trout National. “Our site plan is still under development by Tiger and our team as we work with local, county and state organizations to make the vision a reality.”Signs of the new golf course have emerged. Greens, dunes and rough are seemingly expanding into the sands of the former silica mine, as a group of carts and trucks appears to lay the groundwork for the course tucked away behind forest and farmland. In addition to an 18-hole championship course, Trout National is set to include a practice range, short-game area, clubhouse, restaurant, lodging and a wedding chapel.“At this point, an initial exploration of the proposed routing and previously permitted maintenance facility, which will be incorporated into the golf course design, is under construction,” a spokesperson for the project said.The design of the course layout has not been finalized, the spokesperson said.While work on the course is being done, there are still a series of regulatory obstacles the course must clear for each step of the development process.Ruga must obtain construction permits and site-plan approval from the city Planning Board before he can fully develop the course — although city Solicitor Rick Tonetta said there is work on the greens short of constructing new buildings he can do already. An official at the city Planning Board said Wednesday there was nothing on file for the project at the city, although Tonetta said Thursday an attorney for Ruga had told him the company had obtained construction permits to build certain properties at the site. There was a wall at the site that had been constructed under the authority of an earlier version of the redevelopment plan that had not been approved and would require the developer to seek retroactive permitting approval.Cumberland County Planning Director Matthew Pisarski said Wednesday the developer also had to comply with a site-plan review at the county level. He said the county site plan process largely involved evaluating the project to see how it will impact traffic on neighboring county roads and its potential impact on county easements and drainage systems. While acknowledging there was some work that could be done on the site, he said there were several necessary required reviews from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Cumberland Salem Soil Conservation District, the state agency overseeing Cumberland and Salem counties that is responsible for managing soil and water resources while limiting erosion that could result from new development.Soil Conservation District Manager Michael Bonham said he had issued a grading approval for Trout National on April 28. The new approval, he said, allowed for the developer to do limited work clearing trees on the site. Before any new clubhouses, paths, parking, course features and other major pieces could be built, Bonham said the developer would need to obtain additional district approval.This is not the first time Ruga and Northeast Precast have navigated the regulatory process for development at the site. Ruga obtained city Planning Board site-plan approval in March 2019 for a Northeast Precast industrial and business development at a 151-acre site adjacent to the new Trout National site on South Lincoln Avenue, according to city records.The plan brought an industrial fabrication facility to the site as well as a separate steel manufacturing site and office space.The Vineland Daily Journal described the project as a planned industrial park, reporting there was widespread support for the project in the city and among Cumberland County Improvement Authority officials. It was an idea that replaced an earlier plan to build a youth-sports complex in the area. Ruga did have to pay a small fine for doing some work at the location before having obtained site-plan approval.City records indicate the idea for a golf course near the site came as early as August 2020, when Ruga applied to the city Planning Board for an amendment to a redevelopment plan for the Energy &amp; Minerals program in the area. Looking to purchase and develop land owned by the city and the Improvement Authority, Ruga asked that the plan permit a nine-hole golf course, replete with a clubhouse, driving range, soccer field and shooting range. The clubhouse would have included a restaurant, cigar lounge, pro shop and a gunsmith, along with a multipurpose room and eight second-floor suites. Tonetta said work on a preliminary golf course began sometime after this site-plan approval. There was also a request that the Planning Board allow him to bring a soccer field to the area for use by Northeast Precast employees, as well as a yard with railroad access for incoming raw materials from the neighboring Northeast Precast facilities.Ruga has long been involved in major developments in Cumberland County. He and partner Robert Shanaman opened Northeast Precast in 2003 with a specialty in fashioning new walls for residential homes. The company endured a blow to the residential-development industry during the subprime-mortgage collapse and global financial crisis of 2008, leading the company to diversify. It pivoted to doing work with commercial and public entities, such as building traffic barriers for the state Department of Transportation and building a factory for Bimbo Bakeries in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Northeast Precast discussed contributing to recovery efforts with the Christie administration.Velazquez said the golf course would have an immediate impact on business in the city, generating more traffic for stores and restaurants near the course.It also complemented other developments in the area, including the Northeast Precast site and the Millville Executive Airport, which he said is just about a 10-minute drive from Trout National.“This is part of a much larger project,” Velazquez said. “It’s not just the golf course.”He added that company professionals who visit the championship course for a tournament would be introduced to the area, something that could attract further investment in the city. He said he appreciated Trout, a favorite son of Cumberland County, for investing at home. That the golf course could get off the ground, Velazquez said, was an auspicious sign for future growth in Cumberland County.“Any time you have investments coming from Mike Trout, Tiger Woods, it definitely means people are paying attention,” Velazquez said.Contact Chris Doylecdoyle@pressofac.comCommentsSubscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.High-schoolMike Trout, 31, a 2009 Millville High School graduate, is a center fielder with the Los Angeles Angels and was the 2014, 2016 and 2019 America…Local NewsVINELAND — Despite playing different sports, Mike Trout and Tiger Wood are teaming up.Aerial drone footage shows the beginnings of Trout National — The Reserve in Vineland. Mike Trout, a Millville native, three-time AL MVP for the Los Angeles Angels and 10-time Major League Baseball All-Star, is partnering with golf’s Tiger Woods to build the course.Local developer John Ruga, the owner of Northeast Precast in Vineland, is helping Tiger Woods and Mike Trout build a championship-level golf course on nearby property.Cumberland County officials say a Trout-owned golf course could help draw additional investment in the area and boost nearby businesses.&nbsp;| Terms of Use&nbsp;| Privacy PolicyPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.{{title}}{{summary}}You don't have any notifications.Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.Topics

Skip to main contentSkip to main contentYou have permission to edit this article.Edit© 2023 Lee EnterprisesTerms of Service Privacy PolicyWork has begun, but many hurdles yet to clear before golfers can tee off at Trout NationalCommentsShare thisVINELAND — Work is underway at the site of Trout National, the planned golf course being brought to the city by Mike Trout and Tiger Woods.With the new development comes excitement over its economic potential as it makes its way through the regulatory process.Jerry Velazquez, president and CEO of the Cumberland County Improvement Authority, said he...

Mike Trout and Tiger Woods are building a golf course in New Jersey

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